Tiny Mayor wants documents made public

By DOUGLAS GLYNN Midland Free Press March 1, 2013 

PERKINSFIELD – Tiny Township Mayor Ray Millar wants the documents at the centre of an ombudsman’s in-camera meeting investigation made public.

An ombudsman’s report has concluded that a closed-door meeting last October at which the majority of discussions were about a staff report and related documents concerning six recreation associations was in violation of the Municipal Act.

In a weekend interview, Millar said he agreed last October to the in- camera meeting because “it included a legal opinion as part of the overall package. I felt it was best to at least hold the initial discussion in camera.”

However, he doesn’t “necessarily disagree” with the findings of an ombudsman’s open meeting law enforcement team that the meeting violated the in-camera meeting provisions of the Act.

“It did not occur to me in October that we could separate the elements of the (staff) report (from the legal advice),” Millar said. “That’s something we are going to have to do on a go-forward basis.”

“Once we had the benefit of those discussions and it was clear — at least in my mind — that no one’s privacy rights would be breached and the position of the municipality would not be prejudiced, I wanted the documents made public.”

However, his motion at a November council meeting to make the documents public was defeated by a 3-1 vote.

“Last Thursday I raised the issue again, reminding council that given the weight of the ombudsman’s report we should make available immediately the staff report and all its attachments. Council said no,” he said.

“There are some things we need to discuss with recreation committee members. They have a right to that information.

“There cannot be any meaningful discussions so long as you are withholding information from them,” he added.